House-door letter-box



(No Model.)

B. A. BLAKENEY.

HOUSE DOOR LETTER BOX.

No. 488,419. Patented Dec. 20, 1892.

Inventor.

Tu: NORRIS vzrzns ccmnuYaLrn-xa. wAsumcnom n. p.

with STATES PATENT BENONA A. BLAKENEY, OF GRAND HAVEN, MICHIGAN.

HOUSE-DOOR LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 488,419, dated December 20, 1892.

Applicationfiled October 24, 1891- Serial No. i09,7Z5, (N0 model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, BENONA A. BLAKENEY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at the city of Grand Haven, in the county of Ottawa and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Mail-Box, which I denominate an Automatic Delivery andDeposit MailBox, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a mail box for delivering and depositing mail at a house or an oflice; and the object of the invention is, first, to provide a safe and handy place for persons in a house to deposit mail which they wish delivered at the proper time; and, second to furnish the means by which distributing m ail agents can place the mail belonging to a certain house or office on the inside without entering the house or office; and third a sign so arranged that when there is mail in the box to be taken to the office, the parties in the office or house can touch a lever and the sign Mail turns up so that mail agent can see that there is mail in the box to be distributed, without calling at the office or house when he has no mail to distribute, and when the mail is taken out the mail agent simply turns the sign back and it is ready for use again by the occupants of the house or office. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective View, showing the invention as applied. Fig. 2 is vertical longitudinal section through the box, as applied. Fig. 3 is an end View, showing certain parts in dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a detail of the delivery plate, and Fig. 5 is a detail of the at taching plate or bracket.

In the said drawings, the letter A designates a section of an office or house door, to the outer face of which is secured the box B. In the front a of said box is a hinged door I), provided with a spring lock 0, and by means of which access to the interior of the box is obtained by the postman in possession of the key. In the top d of the box, is formed an elongated narrow slot 6, for the insertion of mail, said slot being normally closed by a plate G, opening into the interior of the box. Said plate is carried on the pivot-rod D, which projects through the sides of the box, and

also through the flanges f 011 the top portion cl, to which the sides are riveted or secured. On one end of said rod is a thumb plate f, by means of which the plate is depressed by the postman. Through the door A, near the upper end of the box, is cut a slot E of a length about equal to the width of the box, and having oblique or inwardly beveled walls g, and registering with a similarslot E in the rear wall of the box. When the plate 0 is depressed,its rear edge is brought tothelevel of the inner edge of the lower wall of this slot, thereby closing the lower portion of the box. Consequently, any mail matter deposited on this plate is prevented from dropping into the bottom of the box, but is slid through the slots E, E, into the interior of the office or building. To prevent said plate from being depressed too great adistance, the stops h are provided.

The top of the box is constructed with a forward and downward pitch, in order to carry off rain water. For the purpose of preventing any water entering through the slot e, the plate 0 is made to fit flush with the upper face ofthe top in an accurate manner, with under-lapping flanges. F is a spring coiled around the pivot rod D, for the purpose of returning said plate to its normal position after the insertion of mail, or' in lieu of this spring a Weight may be employed. As hereinbefore stated, the box is also designed to serve as areceptacle for mail to be collected, and in order that the collector may be advised whether there is mail to be taken, without obliging him to open the box, a signal device is provided as now described.

The sender deposits the mail to be collected in the bottom of the box, through the slots E, E, from the interior of the office or building, and in connection therewith, presses the inner end of a rod or plunger G, which extends through the door in a sleeve or bushing G.

Hinged or pivoted to the upper rear portion of the box, on the rod 7;, which may also serve as a pivot rod for the cover, is a plate H, which is normally held down against the outer surface of the top of the box by a hook 7t on the outer end of the rod G, against the tension of a spring H, which is coiled around said rod '6 between the bearings thereof, said ICO springs having one end bearing against the cover of the box, and the other end bearing against said plate. On the under surface of this plate is a suitable signal, which may consist of the word Mail in large letters. When the rod or plunger is pressed, this plate is released from the hook or catch k, and is thrown upwardly. against the door by means of its spring I-I, exposing the signal, which is visible from a distance, and gives the collector notice.

It is a spring for returning the rod or plunger to its normal position after operation. After removing the mail from the box, the plate H is turned down and secured.

The box may be secured in place preferably by the angle plate or bracket L, one arm Z of which is secured to the back of the box below the slot E, the other arm Z hooking over the lower wall of the slot and secured to the door. The rivets which secure the arm Z in place may also be made to serve as stops for the plate 0 hereinbefore referred to.

It will be apparent that a box as above described will prevent access to improper parties; also that owing to the arrangement of the delivery plate, there is no possibility of the outgoing and incoming mailgetting mixed.

I am aware that boxes possessing similar features to those herein described, have been before known and patented, and I do not therefore claim my invention broadly, but

What I do claim is:--

1. In a mail box of the character herein described, the combination with the door having the slot E therein, of the box or receptacle secured to said door and having a slot E inits rear wall registering with said slot E, the slot e in the top of said box, the hinged plate 0 closing said slot and opening inwardly, said plate being also arranged when operated to close the lower portion of the box, the pivot rod I having the thumb plate, and the signal, all substantially as specified.

2. In a mail box of the character herein described, the combination with the door, having the slot E therein, of the box or receptacle having a slot E in its rear wall registering with said slot E, the hinged door provided with a slot, the slot e in the upper end of said box, the plate 0 arranged to close said slot, and operated as specified, the signal plate hinged to the upper portion of said box, the rod or plunger extending through the door, a catch or hook on the outer end of said plunger, acting to normally hold said signal plate down, and a spring arranged to throw said plate upwardly when released from said hook or catch, substantially as specified.

BENONA A. BLAKENEY.

Witnesses:

CHAS. T. PAGELSEN, DANIEL F. PAGELSEN. 

